Greece And Terrorism

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

April 15, 1989

IN 1985, the U.S. government advised American tourists not to travel to Greece because of the danger of terrorist attacks.

Recently, the Greek government made a surprise decision to free Osama Abdel al-Zomar, an alleged member of the Abu Nidal terrorist organization. Al-Zomar is accused in connection with a 1982 grenade attack on Rome's main synagogue, in which a 2-year-old boy was killed and 34 others wounded.

Italian officials had requested Greece to extradite al-Zomar to Italy to stand trial for the attack. Instead, Greek officials decided to expel him to Libya, Abu Nidal's home base.

Rep. Nicholas Mavroule, D-Mass., a Greek-American, said that he was outraged by Athens' action. According to a recent New York Times article, Mavroule warned Greece would pay a price if it doesn't join other Western nations in fighting terrorism. ''Either they become part of the team, or they become isolated,'' he warned.

Greece also refuses to extradite another alleged terrorist, Mohammed Rashid, wanted by the United States for planting a bomb aboard a Pan Am jetliner in 1982, killing a passenger. A country that does not help to fight worldwide terrorism does not deserve to have our tourist dollars.